Marine fender



Lam F Feb. 12, 1957 CAREY 2,780,919

MARINE FENDER Filed Aug. 27, 1952 "'Tliiih IN VEN TOR. Edwa'rd 6. Corey BY ATTORNEYS United States Patent O 2,780,919 MARINE FENDER Edward G. Carey, Plainfield, N. 3., assignor toGeorge W. Rogers Construction Cor-1)., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application August 27, 1952, Serial No. 306,629 2 Claims. (Cl. 61-48) My invention relates to a flexible marine fender devised to permit safe docking of large ships or sea-going vessels. The docking of a large ship or ocean liner is a diflicult feat because of the lack of maneuverability of the vessel in close quarters except in response to tugs, because of the great size and tonnage weight of the vessel in relation to the controllable forces available to handle her in the docking operation and because of the variable action of tides and currents invariably associated with deep water harbors and clocking facilities. For example, in the port of New York it is considered infeasible to dock one of the large 40,000-ton plus liners except at slack water. At other times, the run of the tide combined with the action of the winds and currents makes the operation too hazardous to risk the potentially heavy damage to the ship that might result from collision with the pier structure, or even drifting impact against a corner of the pier. This situation means that on every passage, the ship must be held in the outer harbor for a period of time averaging six hours per port entry awaiting the proper stage of the tide. This combined with the fact that the time of the favorable tide often is at night or outside the normal working day necessitating overtime arrangements for a large labor force results in a heavy addition to the operating costs of the ship.

My invention provides a protective marine fender of sutlicient flexibility and compressibility that it has been found safe to dock a ship of the largest ocean going class safely at any stage of the tide under normal operating conditions. My invention comprises in combination an outer row of long wooden piles adapted to receive the initial shock of impact and distribute the shock evenly through a plurality of wales to a row of vertical sheeting which bears upon a plurality of rows of hollow rubber tubing having the tubes of one row vertically arranged and the tubes of another row horizontally arranged relative to the row of piles, and means for securing the structural combination to the pier structure. I have found that this fender structure has the capacity of compressing as much as eighteen inches or more under impact in a manner effectively absorbing the shock of a vessel colliding with the pier. I have found moreover that the flexibility of the structure is greatly increased by assembling the outer piles, wales and vertical sheeting in small individual groups, e. g. of about five piles, which are flexibly interconnected with each other and connected to the rigid pier structure by means of a flexible binding means such as wire rope. The resulting structure in the form of a plurality of individual units with the wales cut to the curve and the groups cooperating with the rubber tubing and pier wall structure is particularly adapted to providing a stable structure of desirable flexibility at a pier corner. Thus in a preferred aspect of my invention the fender is a flexible pier corner comprised of a plurality of individual groups of piles, each with its separate wale bearing upon the vertical sheeting and the vertical and horizontal rubber tubing and means for connecting the units together and to the rigid pier corner by means of wire rope.

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My invention will be further illustrated by reference to the accompanying drawings of which:

Fig.- 1 is a perspective view illustrating application of my invention in the form of a flexible corner to an existing pier structure.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the flexible corner.

Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the flexible corner taken along line 3-3 in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a partial elevation of the flexible corner of Figures 1 and 2 as seen from the end of the pier strum ture with the outer pile row, wales and vertical sheeting removed to illustrate the positioning of the horizontal and vertical rubber tubes with respect to the pier structure.

In the flexible corner illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, ten vertical rubber tubes 10 of 12-inch outside diameter with a 6-inch diameter space inside were hung by means of steel cable (not shown) against the existing row of piles 11 of the pier structure 12. The tubes were free to roll or move within the limits of the cable hangers. Against the vertical tubes 10 four horizontal rows of similar tubes 13 were placed following the curve of the corner and supported by heavy steel cables 14. The tubes 13 were of 15-inch outside diameter, 7V2-inch inside diameter and were spaced about 3 inches apart. Bearing on the rows of tubes 10 and 13 was a row of vertical oak sheeting 15 (6" x 10") with associated heavy wales 16 (12" x 16') cut to the curve. The vertical sheeting and wales 16 were supported and protected by a row of heavy spliced oak piles 17 driven to feet depth. In the docking operation, these piles 17 take the direct thrust of the ship or float striking the pier and transmit it evenly to the rubber tubes and thence to the pier structure.

Advantageously as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the wales 16, sheeting 15 and outer row of piles 17 are connected to the existing row of piles 11 in small groups, as shown in groups of five, by several turns of heavy Wire rope. As shown, five turns of l-inch wire rope 18 are employed. Outer piles 17 are also connected into groups by cables 19. The latter groups are arranged to overlap the groups of inner and outer piles connected by cables 18 in order to secure stability and yet provide a high degree of flexibility for the entire structure. In Fig. 2 the manner of attaching the cables 19 is indicated by the dash lines which are drawn out from outer piles 17 in an exaggerated manner in order to illustrate better the overlapping of cables 18 and 19.

In Fig. 3 the arrangement of the essential structural elements is illustrated in vertical section, while in Fig. 4 the relationship of the rows of rubber tubing comprising vertical tubes 10 and horizontal tubes 13 is illustrated in vertical elevation with the outer piles 17, wales 16 and vertical sheeting 15 not shown.

Some variation in the arrangement, size and number of elements in the fender structure should be made in accordance with the size of the vessel to be docked and/ or harbor conditions. For example, additional rows of piling, sheeting and rubber tubing may be employed with very large ships, and metal plating may be substituted for or combined with the wooden sheeting if desired.

I claim;

1. A flexible marine fender for a pier structure which comprises a plurality of elongated vertically disposed and horizontally spaced rubber tubes hung against the pier structure, a plurality of elongated horizontally disposed and vertically spaced rubber tubes supported outside of and against said vertically disposed tubes, a plurality of piles driven in a row along side pier structure outside of said horizontally disposed tubes, a row of vertical sheeting interposed between said horizontally disposed tubes and said piles and bearing against said horizontally disposed rubber tubes, a plurality of wales interposed between said sheeting and said piles, said sheeting and said wales being secured to said piles, and means securing said piles to said pier structure.

2. A flexible marine fender for the corner of apier structure having the first row of driven piles therealong, which comprises a plurality of elongated vertically disposed and horizontally spaced rubber tubes hung against said piles, a plurality of elongated horizontally disposed and vertically spaced rubber tubes supported from said pier structure outside of and against said vertically disposed tubes, a second row of piles driven in a row along side said pier structure outside of said horizontally disposed tubes, a row of vertical sheeting interposed between said horizontally disposed tubes and said second row of piles and bearing against said horizontally disposed tubes, a plurality of wales interposed between said sheeting and said second row of piles, said sheeting and said wales being secured to said second row of piles, cable means securing said second row of piles to said first row of piles in groups, and second cable means securing said second row of piles in groups overlapping the groups secured to said first row of piles by said first cable means.

5 References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 772,100 Holmes Oct. 11, 1904 1,013,584 Brunnier Jan. 2, 1912 10 1,049,261 5 Pelissicr Dec. 31, 1912 1,294,081 Gasiorowski Feb. 11, 1919 1,347,389 Larsen July 20, 1920 2,062,919 Maas Dec. 1, 1936 FOREIGN PATENTS 15 202,626 Germ-any Oct. 7, 1908 856,648 France July 29, 1940 OTHER REFERENCES 0 Engineering News Record of September 4, 1947, page 2 99. 

